Mission Statement: The Indianola Public Library provides free and equally available resources and services for the entire community.  The Library promotes reading readiness, access and guidance for information technology, and life-long learning, relaxation and enjoyment.

The Facts:
·   Patrons checked out 147,680 items which equals 10.1 items checked out by each resident.
·   Attendance at 636 programs sponsored by the Library totaled 9,457.
·   The Library houses 48,234 books, movies, and recordings and another 2,791 titles are available in downloadable format.
·   The Library has 15,365 registered borrowers.
·   The Library’s public computers were used 23,453 times.
·   Each item in the Library’s collection checked out an average of 2.9 times.
·   There were an estimated 155,355 visitors to the Library.

Programming:
Programs offered ranged from traditional story times to new programs for teens.  The Library offers book clubs for children in elementary school, middle school students, teens, and adults.  Junie B. Jones worked her wiles in the Library while Sixth Grade students met at lunchtime to discuss their favorite books.  A joint book club at the High School continues to be popular and our book clubs for adults provide an interesting variety of discussions.

The Friends of the Indianola Public Library Foundation once again sponsored the summer reading program “Make a Splash-Read!”  Programs were offered for all age groups, ranging from on Alzheimer’s to sidewalk art to storm chasing.  Once again, our teen volunteers provided badly needed help.

Other:
Natalie Struecker left her position as Teen and Adult Services Librarian in July 2009.  She was replaced in January 2010 by Michele Patrick.  In March 2010, Arlys Olson retired from her position as a Library Assistant.  Becky Kakac was hired to fill that vacancy and joined the staff in April 2010.

Circulation of downloadable audiobooks, new in June 2008, continued to increase.  Checkouts increased by almost 70% over the first year.
 
Circulation of the Library’s newsletter, Library Lines, continues to grow.  Currently, over 900 people receive it via email.  It continues to be a great way to publicize programs at the Library, as well as keep people informed about current happenings.  

The Library currently subscribes to six online databases.  “Encyclopedia Britannica” was added this year to replace the “Opposing Viewpoints” database.  As always, use of these databases is monitored to insure that usage justifies the cost.

Looking to the Future:
As the Library moves into the next fiscal year, these are some of the areas that library staff will be focusing on:

·   Work to find ways to implement new technologies (such as ebooks) into the Library’s budget and collection.
·   Work to increase the participation of young adults and adults in library programming.
·   Continue working to find a solution to the space needs of the Library.
·   Continue to increase the visibility of the Library in the community.